Hero's Dawn
by Hylian Shadow
Summary: Post AoL. Waiting for the light to end the darkest night of the year, the hero rests.


_Author's notes: Thanks to hizachan for giving me this idea; since Hyrule doesn't have Christmas, what kind of holiday would it celebrate? The appearance of its hero is a strong possibility._

_Written for fanfic100, prompt "Christmas". Post Adventure of Link._

**Hero's Dawn**

Just outside Rauru Town, on a large hill, is a massive pile of wood. Several men hurry around it, preparing kindling to light. Town itself is quiet but busy. The townspeople are gathering near the square, all dressed warmly and wearing cloaks thick enough to keep the chill of winter away. Most of them have weapons of some kind.

What's going on here? This doesn't look good, but at the same time, no one seems frightened. It's nearly sunset; why are so many people in the square?

Dark and I walk slowly down the street. I'll just go ask the elder; he'll know.

As we reach the door to the elder's house, it swings open and the elder walks out, leaning on his staff. "Oh, hello, Link. It has been a while. I trust you are well?"

"I'm fine, Elder," I reply. "Is something happening here in town?"

"Oh?" He smiles, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "You must have been very busy to lose track of the seasons, my boy. Tonight is the night before the Hero's Dawn. We're all gathering for the procession to the bonfire. You and your companion are more than welcome to join our vigil if you wish."

"We'd be honored," Dark says, grinning. He sounds strangely happy about this.

I can't believe I couldn't figure this out. Then again, like the elder said, I've been busy, and evil doesn't particularly care what season it is. Besides, I'm not all that familiar with Hyrule's holidays. This sounds like it will involve laughter and stories, and I will _never_ turn down the warmth of a fire. I'm not going to deny an invitation for something like this. I've spent too much time alone to do that.

The elder smiles and nods before starting towards the square.

I glance over at Dark. "You know what this is, don't you?"

"Of course I do. The name keeps changing, but the holiday itself doesn't change much. Now, come on. I'm not going to let you stand around here all night." He grabs my arm and pulls me along as he joins the crowd.

The sun is setting.

"Darkness is falling! Darkness is falling!" someone calls out.

"Now, now, children," the elder says, speaking in a strong voice. "Hyrule has faced nights like this before, nights that seemed to stretch on forever. There have been nights full of monsters and evil, and the people of Hyrule have spent many long, terrifying nights huddling in their homes praying that the evil will pass them by.

"Our land has been in the shadow of the King of Evil many, many times..."

I can't hear him anymore. All I hear are monsters screaming and roaring as they charge at me, the clash of steel on steel, the sickly sound of a blade piercing flesh... I shudder. Remembering this all at once is overwhelming. I actually did all of that and survived? How...?

"There is no need to be afraid, because the Goddesses have seen fit to bless Hyrule with a hero, a hero with a brilliant soul who can burn away the darkness and bring the light of peace to the world again. And that is why tomorrow is the Hero's Dawn, because the light of courage will rise up and burn away the longest night to return peace and happiness to all of Hyrule."

"But the sun just set!" one of the children calls out. "What are we going to do until then?"

I wrap my cloak tighter around my shoulders. What can normal people do in the face of evil? All I know is what I did; I risked everything to try to rescue the princess. All I could do was fight and pray for the best... It would be too much to ask of most people, to go through such a living nightmare; I don't know where I found the strength to keep going, honestly. I just... did.

"We are going to stay strong, that is what." The elder turns towards the hill with the pile of wood on it. "Just as it is the hero's duty to save Hyrule, it is our duty to stay strong until he does. For if we surrender to the evil, we are no longer worth saving because we have forsaken our kingdom."

Hyrule is always worth saving, I think. As long as there's someone innocent and good still alive, Hyrule is _always_ worth saving. I close my eyes.

"And so," the elder continues, "we are going to stay strong. We are all going together to man the watchfire and await his return. This, children, is why you see many of your parents carrying weapons; it symbolizes their will to keep fighting. Now, if you will all follow me, it is time to start our watch."

I watch them as the townspeople start towards the hill. Some look serious, others peaceful; a few children run ahead, laughing and yelling, while several others cling to their parents' legs, afraid.

"Why are you just standing here?" Dark whispers in my ear. "We're supposed to be following him."

"I will," I reply. "I'm going last."

"Why?"

"In case something attempts to sneak up on the procession, of course." That's the weak spot; there are more people with weapons near the front than the back. If anything dares attack, that's precisely where it will strike.

He slaps me hard enough the world flashes white. "You Thrice damned idiot!"

I want to protest, but I barely even have time to straighten again before he grabs my collar and yanks me so close we're practically touching. "You don't get it, do you? You just don't get it."

"What am I supposed to be getting? And you just hit me!"

He grabs my arm and starts dragging me after him as he follows the townspeople. "They're protecting themselves tonight. Weren't you listening?"

"But it's my duty to --"

Dark tightens his grip on my arm and pulls me up beside him. "_No_, you've done your duty. Now let them do theirs."

"What are you...?" I see several boys not that much younger than I am, walking proudly in the procession with short swords strapped to their belts. And I remember how proud I was the day I was given my first sword... From that moment on, I wasn't a child anymore. I was a man, free to make my own decisions and choose my own battles.

"...I think I understand, Dark," I say softly.

The bonfire is burning by the time we get to the hill; the crowd is scattered around it. I hear a storyteller sharing tales of ancient heroes, and further away, several people are singing. A few are walking slowly around the very fringes of the hill, keeping watch. Dark finds a spot near the fire and sits down, yanking me down next to him.

I scowl as I land roughly on one knee. "You can let go of me now."

He looks over at me and smirks, and then he releases my arm. For a while, we just sit there, listening to the crackling of the fire and the singing and stories about the heroes of the past. It's peaceful here. I lean against Dark and close my eyes. Calm and safe and...

xXx

"But how do we know the hero will come back?"

I snicker; stupid kid doesn't know anything, does he?

The old man just smiles patiently. "Whenever Hyrule is in danger, the Hero will return. I know this because I have seen his work. It was only a few years ago, that a dark cloud fell over Hyrule again..."

I elbow Link. "Hey, he's talking about you."

Link doesn't answer. He's asleep. I snicker again. He finally let his guard down! Good; it's about damned time he just relaxed. It's been what, over two months since we woke up the princess? Something like that. And he's spent every day of that looking over his shoulder.

I guess I'm not really one to talk, considering that even now, part of me is looking and listening for anything that doesn't seem _right_, but... Tch, at least I know how to relax. Looks like I need to teach him again. Or maybe not; he seems plenty relaxed right now.

The old man is still talking; I think he's talking about waking up the sleeping princess, only the way he's telling it makes it seem like Link did this several years ago. Whatever. Maybe he's trying to make the story sound older. I'm not an old man telling stories; I don't know. I know he likes to talk, but that doesn't surprise me. If it's one thing I've learned, it's that old men love the sound of their own voices about as much as they love ceremony.

I lay down and pull Link with me. He mumbles something and shifts, but he doesn't wake up. Oh, isn't this beautiful? This makes the first night he doesn't wake up the second I move, and we're surrounded by an entire town's worth of people.

Things have changed, and this festival isn't any different. The last Hero's Dawn I remember was much more solemn than this. Then again, I don't know how long ago Ganon died -- wish I could've been there to see _that_; I've only been waiting lifetimes for it -- but it can't have been long. Link's still young, and if we met at the end of his second adventure...

Meh, the exact amount doesn't matter. Ganon hasn't been dead for long, and the princess has only been awake for a couple of months; I'd say that gives Hyrule plenty of reason to celebrate.

Besides, it seems to make Link happy to see people celebrate, so... celebrate away. I like seeing him happy. He doesn't smile enough. He's too busy carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders, even though he doesn't need to anymore.

I sigh and ruffle his hair. "Why do you always have to be so stubborn, hmm?"

"...huh?" He opens his eyes a little.

"You're too stubborn."

"Mmm. Maybe I am."

I grin. "The old man's talking about you."

"What?" He starts to sit up, but I grab him and pull him back down.

"Not so loud! He didn't use your name; he was just talking about a hero killing Ganon and waking up the sleeping princess. So calm down. Besides," I point down at his gloved hands, "your mark's covered. No one knows, Link, unless you decide to tell them."

He shakes his head. "I don't want them to know. If they know, they'll just... no."

If they know, they'll toss him up on that damned pedestal. I've seen this happen before, to other Links, and I'm not going to let it happen again. He's got enough problems on his own.

"Elder, does this mean the hero is still alive?"

"Why yes, it does. He is alive and well and wandering Hyrule."

"Who is he, Elder? Is he here?"

I sit up as the old man makes a point of slowly looking over the crowd. "I don't know. He may be here... and he may not. The Hero does not seek out glory or fame -- as is evidenced by my tales. You may have noticed that I have never referred to him by name. That is because no one knows his name."

Link, I think. His damned name is _Link._ Always is.

I flop back down.

"Dark, are you all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Although I _am_ a little cold..." I'm not, not really, but I need a damned excuse.

"Cold?" Is he blushing? "We could always move closer to the fire."

"I'm not that cold. Just a little, really." I shift so that we're touching. "This'll do."

He nods and makes himself comfortable, which apparently involves using me as his pillow again. I can get used to this.

xXx

"Twilight!"

It's already almost dawn? I must have slept longer than I intended. I sit up and stretch.

"Aww, you moved," Dark says, propping himself up on his elbows and grinning at me. "I was comfortable like that."

I wave a hand towards the eastern sky. "Don't you want to watch the sunrise?"

"That's the point of all of this, yeah." He sits up and looks eastward with an oddly contemplative look on his face. "The encroaching darkness is beaten back by the light of the Hero's courageous spirit, and Hyrule is free once again." And then he turns to me and grins. "And Link becomes a year older."

I tense. "How do you know that?"

Dark laughs and waves at the twilit sky before us. "You still don't get it, do you? The return of the hero's light, Link. The hero's birthday."

"I... never really thought about it that way before."

He leans against me as the sky continues to lighten. Around us, everyone is gathering together, looking towards the coming dawn.

And then, finally, the first sliver of the sun's disk rises above the horizon and a new day begins. All of the townspeople start cheering and yelling, and a few are singing.

I watch the sun until it rises completely above the horizon and its brilliance forces me to look away. The longest night of the year is over now. I look down at my gloved hands and smile.

Hyrule's darkest night is over.

And if I have anything to say about it, it will stay over for a long, long time. I look around at the crowd, at the people dancing and celebrating. Even if I don't want them to try to reward me for what I did... it's nice to know they appreciate everything I've done for them. I don't care if they never know my name. They know my deeds. That's more than enough.

Dark kisses my cheek. "So," he whispers. "How old are you now?"

"Seventeen."

He laughs. "Seventeen, and you've already made your mark on Hyrule. What now, Hero?"

"Shh." He may be whispering, but I still don't want to risk anyone overhearing. "I don't know. Is there something I should be doing?"

"Actually, yes, there is." Dark leaps to his feet and pulls me up. "We're supposed to be celebrating!" He spins me around before leaning in and kissing me.

We're surrounded by noise, yet right here where we are is quiet. I hear my heartbeat pounding in my ears. He looks at me and grins, his eyes sparkling in the early morning light.

I smile back. I think this year is going to be much, much better than the last one.

"Come on; let's go enjoy ourselves, Link."


End file.
